Mary and Pentecost

I once heard a priest reflecting on a visit he made with about a dozen other priests to a home whee an elderly woman made them an evening meal.   She was a woman of great faith and very much respected by the priest.   At one point the priest said he went upstairs and when he was returning down the stairs he looked over the bannister and saw his host sitting among the priests and telling them about her faith and discussing the problems they faced as priests.   The others were silent and enthralled at her knowledge.

Looking at this scene the priest reflected that this was probably just like the scene in the Upper Room in Jerusalem before Pentecost   The Mother of Jesus was there and probably doing the same thing and being listened to intently by the disciples.    She was preparing them for their mission just as she had prepared Jesus for His.    Through the Gospels Mary is always there somewhere in the background and when He was preaching she would turn up now and again to see how things were going.   We do not have any account of what they said to one another just the fact that she was there with his brethren.   But Mary who was full of Grace and the Holy Spirit knew where all his teachings were leading to and in the hour of his Crucifixion she was there with him on the journey and kneeling beneath the Cross,.   Now in many ways his followers in the Upper Room were on the same journey and she was there with prayer and encouragement and the wisdom to prepare them for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

So as we say our Pentecost Novenas let us also turn to Mary, for she will prepare us.   There may be things we do not want to commit ourselves to and yet we know we should - talk it over with Mary.   We have some weakness which we know will keep us back from doing what our heart desires - talk it over with Mary.    We want a special gift which will help us in the situations we find ourselves - talk it over with Mary,   We want our sons and daughters to go to Church but feel it is beyond our capability - talk it over with Mary.   Ask her to intercede with the Holy Spirit on your behalf.    It was because of the consent of Mary that the Holy Spirit created Jesus, the God made Man.   She is a powerful ally.


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